MIP network member Branko Milanovic met with HCEO during our 2018 Summer School on Socioeconomic Inequality, to discuss his research on global trends in inequality and his forthcoming book, "Capitalism, Alone." 

"I work on global inequality," he says. "Global meaning of course the entire world. Income means that I work on income but not on wealth inequality. Inequality means that I work on the differences between individuals."

In 2016, Milanovic published "Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization," a book which took a historical look at inequality around the world, both between nation states and within nation states. Later this year, he will publish a new book, "Capitalism, Alone: The Future of a System That Rules the World."

"This also is dealing with inequality but it's structured around two major developments that I believe have taken place over the last 40 years, approximately," he says. "The first one is the global dominance of capitalism as a single mode of production - which I think is the first time in history that this is the case."

He notes that the global dominance of capitalism exists in two primary forms: liberal or meritocratic capitalism and political capitalism. The other major focus of the book is on the changing economic status of Asia. "The second big change is the economic rise of Asia, and rebalancing income inequality in the world."

Milanovic is Visiting Presidential Professor and LIS Senior Scholar at the Graduate Center, CUNY.